Minutes of CAFA Executive Meeting
December 8th, 2004
Attendees
Tom Lightfoot (Chair), Mandy-Rae Cruickshank, Helen Lightfoot, Peter Scott (Minutes) Matt Charlton (by phone), Kirk Krack.
Call to Order
This meeting was held at the CAFA Headquarters in Vancouver. Meeting was called to order at 4:20 p.m.
Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the previous meeting will be approved by email at a later date.
Action Items
Mandy
- Set up of apneacanada, the French language yahoogroups list (done)
Kirk
- 2003-2004 President's Report for AGM Minutes (overdue)
Tom
- AGM Minutes (overdue waiting for President's Report)
- Letter of Understanding to Goh Iromoto about CAFA's commission policy (overdue)
- Add Peter to CVS system for minutes (to do)
- Remove "Black Out" article from website (done)
Helen
- Plan for Sport Canada implementation (done)
Peter
- Review Statement of Understanding, and Freediver Code (done)
- Develop plan for Safety Committee (done)
Agenda Items
1. Sport Canada Plan
The Sport Canada application has three parts:
Part A is mandatory, CAFA meets 50-60% of criteria
Part B (National) or Part C (International) criteria must also be addressed
Criteria lacking under Part A:
- Bilingual website
- NCCP affiliation
- Multi-Year Plan, or Annual Reports for last 4-5 years
- Long term athlete development plan
- CAD$50,000 annual gross revenue
- 3,000 members
- Harassment and Abuse Policy
- Anti-Alcohol and Tobacco Policy
- National Championships: at least 6 provinces must field athletes in 3 of the last 4 years
- Officially audited financial statements
Criteria fulfilled under Part A:
- National Team Policy
- Activity qualifies as a recognized sport
- CAFA is only governing body for whole country
- Incorporated non-profit under Corporations Act
- Officiating structure in place (AIDA)
- Canadian anti-doping policy, WADA adopted
Board recommends adopting the Canadian Olympic Association's Code of Conduct. Board will review newest version of the document and approve at the next meeting.
Action: Peter will find current version of Code of Conduct so that the Board can officially adopt it at the next meeting.
2. Club Outreach
Mandy and Matt outlined approach for club outreach, including:
- Building a proactive relationship with potential club organizers
- Creating incentives for recruiting members
- Keeping on top of development contacts
- Adding a Clubs section to front page of CAFA website
- Encouraging clubs to participate in ocean and scuba events
- Putting on clinics
- Recommending grassroots activities
Recommend starting on developing membership and grassroots clubs. French language email list is established. Matt and Peter will moderate.
Action: Kirk requested that the Board look at what percentage of CAFA revenue comes from membership fees and what percentage comes from sanctioning fees. This is will help with adjusting the membership fees for future development and resolve debate about discounted memberships.
3. Statement of Understanding (Liability and Safety)
After much discussion, it was decided that the Liability Release used for clinics (based on the Performance Freediving Release Form) is strong enough to minimize liability. A statement of understanding was deemed to be problematic and a potential barrier to entry for new members if agreeing to it is a condition of membership. Another measure could be a disclaimer on the website and freedivecanada and apneacanada lists (e.g. entertainment or informational use only).
4. Insurance
Christmas break may delay the pursuit of insurance options. Mandy has a new application to fill out for Director's Liability insurance that she got through a UCBC contact.
5. Safety Committee
The Board is in support of a small and fast-acting committee to prepare a framework for safety review after each competition. Members should have organizing experience and knowledge of some or all of the following: technical scuba diving, safety freediving, first aid/EMT services, event planning and/or competition experience.
The first action of the Safety Committee is to review ideas for efficient reporting by competition organizers in time for upcoming events in the spring.
6. Competition Dates for 2005
Eastern Region:
- National Championships: June 24-26, Ottawa (Matt Charlton organizer)
- Eastern Regional Competition: September 30 - October 2, Ottawa
Western Region:
- Indoor Western Regional Competition: February 25-27, Vancouver
- Western Regional Competition: May 13-15, Vancouver
- Western Regional Competition: October 28-30, Vancouver
7. AIDA Rules Vote
The Board reached consensus and entered votes for all 32 questions. Tom will submit the votes to AIDA.
Action Items
- Code of Conduct (2004?) for adoption by board (Peter)
- Revenue breakdown for CAFA (Mandy / Helen)
- Form safety committee and initiate discussion (Peter)
- Application for Director Liability Insurance (Mandy)
- Submit vote for AIDA Rules (Tom)
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 9:26 p.m. PST
The next meeting will be on January 12 at 6:30 p.m. at:
108 - 3083 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C.
V6K 1R5
